São Julião

Sintra · Lisbon coast · Portugal

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São Julião is a long open beach just south of the Lizandro river, on the border of Mafra and Sintra. It is a classic beach break with many peaks along the sand, and it picks up swell when beaches further south are flat. When it gets bigger it tends to close out.

Level
Beginners
Break
Beach break, sand
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Busy
Season
spring, summer, autumn
Boards
A longboard or foam board when small, a shortboard or fish when it has some size.

When it works

✓ A 0.8–1.8 m west swell with an east or north-east wind, around mid tide.

When it doesn't

✕ Big swells close it out, and onshore winds make it messy.

Watch out for

  • rips
  • rocks

Best months

April, May, June, July, August, September, October

Local tips

A good summer choice when the reefs of Ericeira are flat. Watch for rocks near the ends of the beach.

Getting there

Follow the signs to Praia de São Julião from the coast road south of Ericeira; there is parking above the beach.

Travel notes

How often it works
A swell magnet that works on small swells, which makes it a good bet in summer. Big winter swells mostly close out.
Crowd and vibe
Mixed crowd of locals, schools and day trippers from Lisbon; busy on sunny summer weekends.
Camping and vans
Ericeira Camping at Mil Regos, on the N247 just north of town, is open all year and sits about 200 m from the sea. Next to it, the Mil Regos motorhome area has about 15 places with water and waste disposal. Portuguese law limits motorhome overnight stays to 48 hours outside campsites and bans them in protected areas. Nearest campsite about 4.5 km away.
Facilities
Lifeguards in summer, toilets, showers, parking and beach restaurants.
Water quality
Rated excellent in the 2025 official bathing-water classification (APA), and it flies a Blue Flag in 2026.

Ideal conditions

Swell
W–NW best, SW–NNW works
Size
0.8–1.8 m offshore swell; starts at 0.5 m, holds to 2.5 m
Period
8 s minimum, best from 11 s
Wind
Offshore ENE–SE; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
Tide
mid best
Faces
WNW (285°)

Live cam

Cams © their operators, shown from the operator's own feed.

Nearby spots

All spots in Lisbon coast · All spots

Sources